The number of people out of work in the UK hit a 17-year high in the three
months to November as young people continued to struggle to find work,
according to official figures out today.

The Office for National Statistics said that unemployment rose by 118,000 in
the three months to November to stand at 2.68 million. This is the highest
figure since 1994 and pushed the unemployment rate up from 8.3 per cent to
8.4 per cent.

The number of unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds surged by 52,000 over the quarter
to 1.04 million — the highest since records began in